


i'll make a man out of you

by georgiehensley



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mulan (1998) Fusion, Crossdressing, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Training, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 17:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10667235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley
Summary: normani's heart races as she stands before her captain, preparing for yet another part of her training.or, a normani/val mulan au.





	i'll make a man out of you

**Author's Note:**

> disney week is like going into a candy shop for fic writers - so many sweet au ideas presented, it's hard to pick just one to tackle. so, i chose, of course, what had to be the best dance from last night's episode, normani and val's paso doble, to write a fic about.
> 
> quick note before reading: i never specify that it's the chinese army, bc obviously neither val nor normani would fight a war in/for that country. i do, however, picture them in their respective costumes from the dance, but consider this set in the us, for all intents and purposes.
> 
> title from--oh, fuck it, you already know what it's from.

normani's heart races as she stands before her captain, preparing for yet another part of her training. the two are so close that normani can feel val's breath tickling her face, making her feel even warmer beneath the hot sunlight. his own bare chest glistens with the perspiration of their previous training activities, but normani forces herself to keep her gaze locked onto his as not to get distracted.

off to the side, another soldier tosses out a wooden stick, val's weapon of choice in this practice battle. he separates from normani long enough to catch it perfectly in both hands. when he faces her again, a stick is thrown in her direction; without so much as a flicker of her gaze, she catches it - one-handed. around them, some of the men whistle, clearly impressed. val pays them no mind.

instead, he gets himself ready to fight. normani does the same, breathing in deeply to calm her nerves.

and then, it starts.

normani blocks every single one of val's moves, and fights back enough to send him falling backwards onto the grass. while she clearly wasn't strong enough to leave him with any serious injuries, normani still panics, rushing to help her captain back onto his feet, missing the look of impression he sends her way.

“sorry,” she says sheepishly as she takes his hand, helping him stand upright again, ignoring the way their hands fit together perfectly, almost like puzzle pieces, made to complete one another.

“never apologize for putting up a good fight,” val says with a slight smile, an expression normani had never seen before on her captain's face. around them, soldiers cheer for her job well done, and she can only blush humbly at the rare compliment.

**Author's Note:**

> two things:
> 
> 1\. val's shirtless is taken from the actual scene in the film, in which shang has no shirt on for the entirety of the song. (i was hoping val would have done the routine shirtless last night, ngl.)
> 
> 2\. i skipped over the actual fight/training portion bc a) i didn't know where to begin with it, i've never tackled a scene like that before, and b) i wanted this to focus more on the relationship brewing beneath the surface, so i felt that the fight didn't add much to that. besides, rather than read about it, you can watch the fight [here](https://youtu.be/hh4em_TP19A). ;)
> 
> also, don't forget to [vote](http://valchmerkovskiy.tumblr.com/post/158549802260/how-to-vote-for-normani-and-valentin-there-are-3) every monday night! #teamvalmani


End file.
